M-Sport have a rich history in the World Rally Championship having competed in the category since 1997 in partnership with Ford.
Founded by Malcolm Wilson in 1979 and operating out of Dovenby Hall in the UK, the team entered as their own customer team in 2006 under the name Stobart VK Ford Rally Team, while the Ford World Rally Team continued to be operated by M-Sport until their withdrawal from the WRC in 2012.
Now known as M-Sport Ford WRT, the team won the Manufacturers’ Championship in 2017 as they guided Sebastien Ogier to his fifth of eight world championships, whilst also housing top talents Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans.
In recent years, M-Sport have struggled to compete against Toyota and Hyundai as they have not finished in the top two since that triumph in 2017. In 2024, the team are applying extreme pressure on one key thing in particular as they face difficulties in keeping their operations alive.
M-Sport have ‘everything riding’ on Adrien Fourmaux to keep their WRC operation going
For the 2024 season, M-Sport are running two full-time drivers in Adrien Fourmaux and Gregoire Munster.
The team have also handed three appearances to Jourdan Serderidis and Martins Sesks this season, with Sesks getting an ‘audition; for M-Sport for 2025 at Rally Chile.
While Munster is taking part in his first full season in the WRC, Fourmaux is returning to the Rally1 car having spent 2023 in the Rally2 machine.
The Frenchman has shown what talent he has in the WRC, with four podiums this season – his first in the series – and nine total stage wins across his career.
And speaking on the WRC’s More Than Machine series on their YouTube channel, M-Sport team principal Richard Millener explained just how much the team are relying on Fourmaux to deliver results.
“Year on year, M-Sport turns up at WRC, so the perception from people is that we’ll be fine,” he said.
“We have to work incredibly hard behind the scenes to make sure that we can be there next year and the year after, and it’s always difficult for us.
“Malcolm [Wilson] said to me he doesn’t sleep at night. He’s always ensuring the 250 people he’s employing get paid every month and look after their families.
“It’s horrible thinking ‘what happens if we can’t make it work?’ There’s a lot of things that go on in your head that stress me out.
“We have everything riding on Adrien this year. If we don’t win anything – stages, rallies, events – we will really struggle to get the funding, so we have to win.”
Adrien Fourmaux is having his best season in the WRC to date
Heading into the next round at Central Europe, Fourmaux is fifth in the drivers’ standings with 140 points; the best of his career so far.
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While he is yet to secure a victory, the Frenchman has finished in the top five in all but three rallies this season, while teammate Munster also only managed five more points as a full-time driver than Sesks who has only driven three events.
Fourmaux has been linked with Hyundai as his talent is clearly being recognised, and if he was to leave M-Sport, it would prove a devastating blow for the team.
While Sesks is tipped for the future, only time will tell if M-Sport’s incredible operation can continue in the WRC and they still search for victory in 2024.